Aznavour has sung for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events. In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake, he founded the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan. In 2009, he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. On 24 August 2017, Aznavour was awarded the 2,618th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On 17 September 2018, his last concert took place in NHK Hall, Tokyo.
Charles Aznavour died on 1 October 2018.
Charles Aznavour was perhaps the best-known French music hall entertainer in the world -- renowned the world over for the bittersweet love songs he has written and sung, which seem to embody the essence of French popular song, and also for his appearances on screen in such wildly divergent fare as Shoot the Piano Player, Candy, and The Tin Drum. His status as the quintessential French popular culture icon is something of an irony for a man who identifies himself most closely with his Armenian heritage. His father was a singer and sometime-restaurateur, while his mother was an actress and part-time seamstress. His father's singing, done in a notably impassioned style, heavily influenced Aznavour's approach to singing as a boy. Although he had a voracious appetite for music, he also had a serious impediment growing up, in the form of a paralyzed vocal cord that gave his voice a raspy quality. He channeled some of his energy into theater, making both his stage and screen debuts at age nine, in 1933, in the theater piece Un bon petit diable and in the film La guerre des gosses. As an adolescent, he danced in nightclubs and sold newspapers, as well as touring with theatrical companies, and he wrote a nightclub act in partnership with Pierre Roche -- Aznavour wrote the lyrics to their songs and it was through that material that he began his singing career. Early on, he learned to overcome his fears about his vocal limitations, in part with help from singing legend Édith Piaf, for whom he worked as a chauffeur, among other capacities; with her help, he developed a style that suited his capabilities and played to his strengths and also continued writing songs in earnest, some of which were performed by Piaf.
His success came very slowly, however. Aznavour at first found some difficulty being accepted as a composer in France or anywhere else. His compositions, although considered tame by any modern standard, were regarded as too risqué for French radio and were banned from the airwaves for a decade or more, from the late '40s through the end of the 1950s; American publishers seemed equally reticent about them, as he discovered on a visit to New York in 1948. That trip did yield his first performing engagement in the city, however, at the Cafe Society Downtown in Greenwich Village. For the next decade, Aznavour made his living as a performer in second-tier clubs and middle- or bottom-of-the-bill berths on three continents. His mix of daringly original and frank love songs, coupled with a limited but very expressive singing style, left audiences somewhat bewildered at first.
His breakthrough came in 1956, during a vaudeville engagement in Casablanca, where the audience reaction was so positive that Aznavour was moved to headliner status. After this, it became easier for the singer to find better engagements in France; by 1958 he even had a recording contract. He made his screen debut that same year in a dramatic role, playing an epileptic in George Franju's La tête contre les murs. He also composed music for Alex Joff's Du rififi chez les femmes in 1958; From there, he moved on to bigger roles in better movies, including Jean Cocteau's Testament of Orpheus and Francois Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player. The latter movie turned Aznavour into a screen star in France and opened the way for his breakthrough in America. He sang at Carnegie Hall in the early '60s and followed this up in 1965 with a one-man show, The World of Charles Aznavour, at the Ambassador Hotel in New York, which drew rave notices from audiences and critics alike. By that time, the once-struggling singer had secured his first American LP release with the similarly titled album The World of Charles Aznavour on Reprise Records, the label founded and run by Frank Sinatra.
Aznavour would be the last to compare himself with those whom he regards as truly gifted vocalists, such as Sinatra and Mel Tormé, preferring to think of himself as a composer who also happens to sing. His style of performing has been compared variously to Maurice Chevalier and Sinatra and has remained enduringly popular for four decades. Almost all of Aznavour's songs deal with love and its permutations, running the gamut from upbeat, joyous pieces such as Après l'amour and J'ai perdu la tête to the dark-hued J'en déduis que je t'aime and Bon anniversaire. A teetotaler and a racing car enthusiast, Aznavour has been married three times and has four children.
Le jazz est revenu
Charles Aznavour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sauf pour quelques fanas têtus
Le voilà parti bille en tête
Le jazz est revenu
Il avait bâti son histoire
Sans publicité superflue
Pour revivre ses jours de gloire
Le jazz est revenu
Il n'est donc pas échec et mat
Puisque aussi les jeunes se mettent
Au scat
Bien des musicos réapprennent
A jouer cool et détendu
C'est comme un nouveau phénomène
Le jazz est revenu
Bousculé par la concurrence
On pensait son temps révolu
Quand sortant de l'indifférence
Le jazz est revenu
Il a connu les controverses
Ses détracteurs sont confondus
Car les déserts ça se traverse
Le jazz est revenu
Chérie suis moi pour un voyage
Tout près de la gare du Nord
Ou ça bastonne et déménage
A mort
Allez viens ne sois pas bégueule
Tu sortiras convaincue
On va en prendre plein la gueule
Le jazz est revenu
Fini les galères et l'exode
Fini les disques invendus
Dans le vent, de toutes les modes
Le jazz est revenu
Et voilà qu'on le catéchise
On le sanctifie doux Jésus
Dans les sacro-sainte églises
Le jazz est revenu
C'est la musique qui m'inspire
De Frank à Ray d'Ella à Bing
Et combien d'autres dont j'admire
Le swing
Sur tous les coins de la planète
Parés de toute les vertus
Il prend part à toutes les fêtes
Il anime même la rue
Connu et reconnu
Le jazz
Le jazz est revenu
The lyrics of Charles Aznavour's "Le jazz est revenu" describe the resurgence of jazz music after a time when it seemed to be forgotten. The first verse suggests that jazz had been relegated to the "oubliettes" (dungeon) for a while, but now it has come back with a vengeance. Despite some skepticism from critics, jazz has proven to be resilient and has even gained a new following among younger generations who are experimenting with improvisation and scat singing. The second verse alludes to the fact that jazz has faced opposition throughout its history, but that it has always been able to overcome such challenges. The singer of the song invites his companion to come with him to a jazz club near the train station where they will be immersed in the vibrant and energetic music of jazz.
Aznavour's lyrics capture the spirit of jazz as a genre that is constantly evolving and adapting to changing times. Jazz music has always been marked by experimentation and a willingness to push boundaries, and this is reflected in the way that it has been able to evolve and remain relevant over the years. The song also portrays jazz as a unifying force that brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate and enjoy the music. This is evident in the line "il prend part à toutes les fêtes, il anime même la rue" (it takes part in all the parties, it even animates the streets).
Overall, "Le jazz est revenu" celebrates the resilience and enduring appeal of jazz music, and serves as a tribute to the musicians who have kept the genre alive over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Un certain temps aux oubliettes
The art of jazz was forgotten for a period of time
Sauf pour quelques fanas têtus
Except for a few stubborn enthusiasts
Le voilà parti bille en tête
Now it's back in full force
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Il avait bâti son histoire
Jazz built its own history
Sans publicité superflue
Without excessive promotion
Pour revivre ses jours de gloire
To relive its triumphant days
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Soudain les sceptiques s'inquiètent
Suddenly, skeptics become worried
Il n'est donc pas échec et mat
It's not a failed art form
Puisque aussi les jeunes se mettent
Since even the younger generation embraces it
Au scat
Through scat singing
Bien des musicos réapprennent
Many musicians are relearning
A jouer cool et détendu
To play in a cool and relaxed way
C'est comme un nouveau phénomène
It's like a new phenomenon
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Bousculé par la concurrence
Pushed aside by other music genres
On pensait son temps révolu
Jazz was thought to be a thing of the past
Quand sortant de l'indifférence
But then it emerged from indifference
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Il a connu les controverses
Jazz has experienced controversies
Ses détracteurs sont confondus
Its critics are now confused
Car les déserts ça se traverse
Because even the emptiest of spaces can be crossed
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Chérie suis moi pour un voyage
Honey, come with me on a journey
Tout près de la gare du Nord
Just near the Gare du Nord
Ou ça bastonne et déménage
Where the music rocks and moves
A mort
To the limit
Allez viens ne sois pas bégueule
Come on, don't be shy
Tu sortiras convaincue
You'll leave convinced
On va en prendre plein la gueule
We're going to have a blast
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Fini les galères et l'exode
The struggles and exodus are over
Fini les disques invendus
No more unsold records
Dans le vent, de toutes les modes
No longer out of style
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Et voilà qu'on le catéchise
Now it's being praised
On le sanctifie doux Jésus
Jazz is being sanctified like Jesus
Dans les sacro-sainte églises
In the holy churches
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
C'est la musique qui m'inspire
It's the music that inspires me
De Frank à Ray d'Ella à Bing
From Frank to Ray, Ella to Bing
Et combien d'autres dont j'admire
And so many others that I admire
Le swing
The swing
Sur tous les coins de la planète
All around the world
Parés de toutes les vertus
With all of its virtues
Il prend part à toutes les fêtes
It's part of all the parties
Il anime même la rue
It even fills the streets with music
Connu et reconnu
Known and recognized
Le jazz
Jazz
Le jazz est revenu
Jazz has returned
Lyrics © MELODIUM MUSIC
Written by: Aznavour Charles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind